Are Your Nutrition and Supplements Working?

Why are you here reading this? Does nutrition matter to you? Does taking care of yourself matter to you? If you are here reading this I would venture to say that fitness, nutrition, health (and of course faith) are important to you. Perhaps you are interested in improving your health and nutrition, maybe you think you are doing pretty good but want to make it better, perhaps you’re just starting, either way, a good nutrition plan and supplements help us to feel, function, and perform our best.

While we might have a weight loss goal, there are other, subjective ways to measure if our nutrition and supplements are working for us. Our body weight, the weight on the scale isn’t the end all be all. It is one metric that can be a useful tool, however here are some other ways to know if it is working for you. 

My first question is how are you feeling? Physically, emotionally and mentally? What we eat impacts how our bodies feel. Does your body feel ready to perform well? Or is your body physically tired and drained? How are you feeling emotionally? What we eat impacts our emotions as well as our mental state. A diet high in sugars, nutrient-poor, processed food can contribute to poor moods. 

Here are some of the ways I notice my nutrition and supplements are working:

I am satisfied and full after my meals. This is an indicator that my meals are full of nutrient-dense, high quality, lean proteins, veggies, fiber-rich minimally processed carbs. When I eat a meal that makes me feel full, and doesn’t leave me wanting more, that’s a good sign my nutrition choices are on point!

I perform better. I am stronger and have more endurance for training. When my nutrition and supplement game is on, I feel primed and ready to take on each training session with a strong performance. 

I am in a better mood. I feel happier and more positive. When my nutrition and supplements are giving me lots of nutrients I feel better mentally and emotionally. When I am eating a lot of nutrient-poor foods, like treats, I notice that my mood tends to go down. How we feel depends a lot on what we eat. Eating too much sugar, vegetable oil, hydrogenated fats, and trans fats are linked to depression. Whereas a diet full of lean protein, omega 3, and fruits and vegetables puts us in better moods because of how these work with our neurotransmitters and blood sugar. 

I sleep better. I fall asleep easier, I stay asleep and sleep deeply and recover well. Not only can I tell physically, but also my performance tracker whoop reflects when I am eating well vs. when I am not. 

I have more energy consistently. My energy levels throughout the day are consistent when I am staying hydrated, eating lots of lean protein, nutrient-dense veggies, and fiber-rich minimally processed carbs. I don’t experience that afternoon lull! 

I have good digestion. I’m not bloated, gassy and my stools are regular and healthy. Stool health is a great way to determine how your nutrition plan is working. Take a look at this infographic from precision nutrition and assess what your stool health is telling you. Maybe working on your stool health is a goal you’d like to work on and changing some of your nutrition habits will help with that. 

I feel better mentally, more clear, better able to focus on my goals, and tasks at hand, less cloudy. I feel confident, better about my choices. I feel motivated. 

I feel more confident in my skin, walking tall and proud, feeling athletic and healthy. 

I have less pain, inflammation, or stiffness in my joints. 

My skin and hair look better. 

I am more clear about God’s truth. When I am fueling my body well, I am more clear on God’s truth, whereas when I am filling myself with junk I honestly feel less clear mentally about who God is. Whereas when I am honoring God with my nutrition and fueling the temple he gave me with nutrient-dense foods, I feel clear on His truth and closer to Him. I think eating well improves my relationship with God. 

Food influences how we feel physically, mentally, emotionally. If you are reading this and you want some next steps to feel and function your best my best tip is to nudge your current nutrition plan into a little better every day! Upgrade one thing into just a little better in your nutrition every day. Over time keep adding in lots of healthy stuff. Don’t worry so much about taking things away and avoiding junk food, fast food, dessert. DO get excited about what healthy foods you enjoy and eat more of those, add more of those, over time. 

Another way to help you feel and function your best is to supplement a healthy diet with a multivitamin, greens, red, and omega product! I take LIFE, VITA, REDS, and MEGA daily! I was just on vacation for a week and I didn't have my foundational supplements with me and I couldn’t wait to get back and take them because they truly make a difference in how I feel! 

-Charissa

Charissa is a Performance Coach, Certified Nutrition Coach, Certified Fitness Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer, and holds a B.S. in Kinesiology. She also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration. She is a follower of Jesus, passionate about faith, fitness, nutrition, a lifestyle of total health, meditating, learning and growing!